Farooq Qaiser with his alter ego Uncle Sargam | Guddu Film Archive
Pakistan Television has produced countless gems over a period of time but not all of them were timeless. Characters such as Uncle Jedi, Qabacha and Hasnat Bhai inspired a generation but ultimately faded away with the passage of time. But one character never faded from memory Uncle Sargam, created by the legendary Farooq Qaiser, became a household name the moment the character debuted in 1976.
Those were the days when music director Sohail Rana used to do a weekly music show Saaray Dost Hamaray from Pakistan Television’s (PTV’s) Karachi centre. The kids who participated in the show addressed Sohail Rana as ‘uncle’, and used to sway sideways while singing. When Kaliyaan debuted in 1976, Uncle Sargam made sure the puppets performed in the same manner as the kids in the music show, and sang, ‘Aao mil ke gayein, aayen baayen shaayen, sur ka tiah paancha kar ke waapas ghar ko jayein’ [Come let us sing sing t
May 9, 2021
These books will take you through time in Pakistan’s entertainment industry and are a must-read for any film and TV enthusiast…
Pakistan’s entertainment industry has a rich history; people who were around in the 60s remember it for its golden era. The millennials, however, don’t have the urge or access to resources in the odd case that they may want to visit the past. They therefore have no clue as to what made Pakistani cinema, theatre, and especially TV as big as it is today.
As a guide to the good old days, we urge those interested to read these five books for insight to how the industry evolved. Happy reading!
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Switch to any Pakistani cable news channel, and it’s the same overly busy graphics, split screen, screamingly bright colours, the very rapid ticker tape reminding us of breaking news, while our ears are bombarded with the raised voices of the anchorpersons and the guests outshouting each other.
The world’s first 24-hour television news network, CNN, was established in 1980. The dramatic live coverage of the 1991 Gulf War gave it a global presence and a political influence, creating what has come to be known as the CNN Effect. Former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali satirically called it “the 16th member of the Security Council.” BBC followed with its 24-hour news channel in 1997, and television news changed forever, encouraging other countries to set up their own 24-hour news channels.